Examination of the Knowledge Learned During This Course

Introduction

From the topics discussed during this course, the environmental issues as they affect health theme would be the best addressed by legislation. Personally, I would advocate for incorporating the World Health Organization (WHO) Global and Quality Guidelines (AQG) into the United States legislation, as this initiative directly battles the causes of air pollution. Currently, AQGs remain a set of recommendations that are advised to use when implementing the laws regarding air quality (World Health Organization, 2021). However, the presented guidelines are highly comprehensive and thoroughly address the pollutants associated with high health risks, meaning that transforming such advice into relevant policies would be highly beneficial.

However, some of the currently enacted laws still promote manufacturing efficiency over improving environmental conditions. From my perspective, existing legislation that contributed to the deterioration of air quality in the US is the weakening of automobile emission requirements. During Obama’s presidency, cars and motor vehicles producing carbon emissions were required to decrease their pollutant output by 4.7% each year (Holden, 2020). However, in 2020, the Trump administration enacted the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Final Rule, allowing manufacturers to enhance their vehicles’ outputs by 1.5% per year (Holden, 2020). These diminished requirements will undoubtedly affect the overall air quality, allowing the production companies to be less concerned about air pollution.

A recently proposed bill that I hope will not become law is Senate bill S914. This proposition focuses on creating environmental standards for lead contamination, and it is currently being reviewed by the Governor of New York State (The New York State Senate, 2021). The proportions of lead in soil suggested in this document are quite high, meaning that the emission of lead dust, which negatively affects the air quality, will not be decreased (Dotaniya et al., 2020). If this bill becomes law, it might increase the amounts of lead in various structures.

Ethical Concerns and Environmental Deterioration

Out of the topics discussed, the most challenging ethical question is connected to obesity. Although obesity has been recognized as a medical condition that is necessary to overcome to ensure better well-being, the comfort of living is also crucial to consider (Barnhill, 2019). It is suggested that by promoting the imagery of slim individuals and the negative attitudes towards overweight, society endorses the stigmatization of obese populations (Barnhill, 2019). Indeed, obesity is often connected to such biases as lack of control, laziness, and the disregard of environmental and physical causes. Such stigma might arise from the negative perceptions of being overweight and is especially harmful towards affected individuals, reducing their psychological well-being (Barnhill, 2019). In this regard, it is essential to approach obesity from an ethical perspective, promoting not only healthy eating but also tolerance towards overweight, educating populations on numerous factors driving the emergence of this condition.

Ensuring the Development of the Nursing Profession

The topic connected to decreasing medical professionals retention rates could be highly threatening to the advances in the nursing field, limiting the numbers of practitioners and scholars entering this industry. As the world population continues to grow and the humanities lifespans become longer, the shortages of nurses become especially evident (Huang & Bowblis, 2020). However, the current complications with the appropriate working hours and occupational benefits significantly reduce the individuals’ interest in acquiring a nursing occupation (Huang & Bowblis, 2020). In the long term, such absence of engagement and diminished retention levels could result not only in the decrease of patient care quality and the lack of clinical professionals.

Potential Improvement of the Nurses’ Working Conditions

The issues related to the nurses’ high retention rates could positively impact the population’s interest in the nursing occupation, promoting the development of this professional area. Given that the quality of the nurses’ working conditions continues to deteriorate, with more occupational hazards emerging due to the pandemic, the public has become more aware of the significance of this profession (Kim et al., 2020). As a result, the rising demand for nurses and its negative effect on retention rates have been recognized by numerous institutions, and additional efforts are being directed towards countering these issues (Kim et al., 2020). Such attention towards the nurses’ well-being and working conditions might positively affect the profession’s growth, leading to the establishment of better workplace environments.

Global Health Concerns and Environmental Damages

The hazardous effects of environmental pollution are unquestionably the most vital aspects to address when discussing the global population’s health. The emerging ecological issues, from air pollution to elevated resource consumption, have been shown to drastically decrease the quality of the world’s inhabitants (WHO, 2021). Particulate matter, high pollution rates, and hazardous waste significantly enhance the risk of severe diseases (WHO, 2021). So devastating is the impact of worsening ecological conditions that numerous countries report increasing mortality rates, and WHO claims global health levels continue to plummet.

Becoming Personally Involved in Mitigating Nursing Shortages

The increase of the nurses’ retention rates is a challenge that I could become involved in, as I am certain that I can contribute to the resolution of this issue. As a nursing professional, I am aware of the difficulties surrounding this sphere, and I would like to contribute to the activities addressing nursing shortages. As such, I could conduct research on the complications encountered by nurses, examining the reasons behind the nursing personnel’s declining interest in continuing their professional path. I am also interested in participating in events that discuss this problem, from public campaigns to scientific conferences. In addition, I would also like to be informing communities about the value of nursing, promoting positive attitudes towards nurses and their work.

Incorporating the Nutrition CREATION Principle

Healthcare-related issues and the nursing profession greatly depend on various changes occurring in the modern world. For instance, as the global culture of health begins to shift, incorporating the fear of regular medical check-ups and promoting distrust towards medicine, reluctance towards vaccines begins to emerge (Braithwaite et al., 2017). From the economic and scientific perspectives, a country’s affluence and the level of technological development allow its government to provide the best healthcare services for its citizens (Braithwaite et al., 2017). Similarly, politicians often promote particular policies that might highlight the significance of the nursing profession or negate its importance.

I believe that the Nutrition CREATION principle could be applied to solve the majority of the healthcare-related issues connected to cultural changes. The sedentary lifestyle that is currently ingrained in the majority of the world’s cultures is a significant factor that decreases the global quality of life (CREATION Life, n.d.). However, if the current preferences shifted, leaning more towards nutritional awareness and disease prevention through an active lifestyle and healthy eating, the overall level of welfare would dramatically improve. As a result, the burden on the healthcare system would diminish, leading to better scientific advancement and possibly economic affluence for the more healthy, active citizens.

Learning Outcomes to Consider

While learning leadership and management, I was highly inspired by the idea that influential nursing leaders must productively communicate with the working personnel. Although I was already aware that interaction between employees and executive is crucial for the unit’s efficiency, I did not know the particular strategies that could be implemented. However, as I studied the course materials, I encountered simple techniques that could greatly boost a leader’s competencies. This realization will surely change my future career practices, allowing me to communicate productively with my team and promote high-performance rates.

References

Barnhill, A. (2019). The Oxford handbook of public health ethics. Oxford University Press.

Braithwaite, J., Matsuyama, Y., & Johnson, J. (2017). Healthcare reform, quality and safety: perspectives, participants, partnerships and prospects in 30 countries. CRC Press.

CREATION Life. (n.d.). Nutrition. Web.

Dotaniya, M. L., Dotaniya, C. K., Solanki, P., Meena, V. D., & Doutaniya, R. K. (2020). Lead contamination and its dynamics in soil-plant system. In D. K. Gupta, S. Chatterjee, & C. Walther (Eds.), Lead in plants and the environment (pp. 83–98). Springer International Publishing.

Holden, E. (2020). Trump to roll back Obama-era clean car rules in huge blow to climate fight. The Guardian. Web.

Huang, S. S., & Bowblis, J. R. (2020). Workforce retention and wages in nursing homes: An analysis of managerial ownership. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 39(8), 902–907. Web.

Kim, Y.-J., Lee, S.-Y., & Cho, J.-H. (2020). A study on the job retention intention of nurses based on social support in the COVID-19 situation. Sustainability, 12(18). Web.

The New York State Senate. (2021). NY State Senate Bill S914. Web.

WHO. (2021). New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of lives from air pollution. Web.